Month: September 2019

Writing Speeches

by sarahsbookreflections, posted in Uncategorized

My thoughts on speech writing are that one should be concise, but informative. However, there’s no reason not to have a humorous tone even if the speech is of a serious nature. I’m not talking slapstick or nonsensical humor, but I’m of the opinion that your audience is going leave you, if not physically at least mentally, if you drone on.

For instance, a group of us are presenting a forum on our globally changing climate. We have, we hope, people coming who might not agree that our climate is changing or who believe God takes care of the climate. This, I think, makes gentle humor in my introductions even more appealing.

The first speaker’s talk is about how to deal with atmospheric changes, such as more ferocious hurricanes and more variances in rainfall amounts from year to year. For him, I’m going to say: You might say he’s seen the clouds from both sides now. (For you youngsters out there, that’s a reference to a folk/pop song written by Joni Mitchell, but made famous by Judy Collins.)

The second speaker is an expert on rivers and we have a delightful picture of him sitting in a row boat holding a container of greenish-brown river water. He’s grinning as if he’d just got a fish for dinner or pulled up Black Beard’s treasure. But his tag line on his emails is a quote from Mark Twain. For him I plan to say: So, what better job than surveying rivers and teaching other people about them. Plus, he quotes Mark Twain.

            The third speaker is a retired Marine colonel who is telling us about how the military has to deal with climate changes. For him I’m saying: How can you not like a guy whose nickname is Otter?

The final speaker is a wildlife specialist who is telling us about the changes in animals and their migratory patterns in eastern North Carolina. His introduction include my statement: He gets great joy from showing the people what lives around here.

I could have just recited their technical bios, but don’t you think people are going to be more receptive to what’s being said if they have more warm and fuzzy feelings about the speakers?

I’m writing this now after the fact, and am thrilled to say that the forum was an overwhelming success largely due to our four dynamite speakers, but also because of the way we set it up. And, she says with not a smidgen of humility, because I added humor into my introductions and because my co-leader started us off with a song.

Thanks for reading. Hope to hear from you. Next week I’ll get back fiction writing or reviews. Sarah

It’s a Dark and Stormy Night…

by sarahsbookreflections, posted in Book Publising, Historical Fiction, Revising

     Writing the perfect opening is hard work. I’m reading a spy novel at moment because that’s the only way to learn a genre. I’m not a big fan of the author’s style of writing, but this is not the first book I’ve read that uses this format.

     The book is Rules of Vengeance by Christopher Reich (2009, Doubleday/Random House, ISBN 978-0-385-52407-0) and is the second in a series about a doctor named Jonathon Ransom, who actually isn’t spy, but his wife is.     

     Anyway, the opening scene is a news announcement on Reuters news service of a car bomb explosion, then the action centers on Jonathon Ransom for a couple of pages.

     And then the reader goes to Chapter 1, which describes in great detail an exclusive apartment building in a ritzy part of London, where the reader follows the intrigue of an intruder into one of the apartments. The owner of the apartment is murdered by intruder and then the detective who investigates what is considered a routine suicide determines is actually a murder.

     Then we jump back to Jonathon and along the way get a detailed description of the workings of a ultra-secret spy organization in the U.S. In my view, there are a great many details that could have been left out, making this a much tighter and compelling read.

    But I’ll continue to read so that I can understand what sells in this genre and how not to fall victim to this style of writing.

    In the meantime, I have to figure out what’s going to work for my young adult spy/murder/romance historical fiction book set in 1942. At the moment, the title is EARTHQUAKES because it’s set in Los Angeles and my Jonathon has nightmares about the devastation an earthquake can cause. But also because of the metaphorical earthquakes Jonathon is experiencing in his young life.

     The family has just learned their maternal grandfather died on Corregidor, Philippines and their father is now missing. Both men are Marine Corps officers and Naval Academy graduates. There’s one earthquake.

    Earthquake number 2 is finding their next-door neighbor stabbed to death in his house. Plus, people keep breaking into Jonathon’s house to find some secret message.

    I’ve tried several openings, such as having Jonathon wake up one morning from yet another earthquake nightmare and have to rush to get ready for school. First, though, he’s feel pressure to calm down the daily fight between his older brother and their mother about why he should or should not quit college to enlist in the military to save America from the invaders.   

    My editor says that publishers reject stories that start with dreams or with the protagonist waking up.

    Also, I shouldn’t start with the first word being a sound. In this case “whump,” because his brother is pounding on the kitchen table below Jonathon’s bedroom.

     One of my critique group women wants me to have a real earthquake described in the first page or two, but that’s not what I want. I want to focus on the metaphorical aspect.

     At the moment I’m stuck, but I’ll keep mulling it over in my head and it will come to me. In the meantime, I’ll working on making the rest of the novel perfect. Or as close as possible.

     I think the first paragraphs in my other two novels are good and compelling set ups. Terror’s Identity starts out with:

                        At sixteen, guys are supposed to tough, right? But when Mom

pounds of the stairs to our bedrooms shouting, “Aidan! Maya! This is it! We’re leaving…now,” tough is not what I feel.

     My second novel, a middle-grade horse book, Emily’s Ride to Courage, starts out with:

                        Usually, the sweet scent of just-mowed grass and the

                        growl of a tractor cutting a hay field perks me right

                        up. Not this time. This time I only feel dread.

I hope those make you want to read further. Thanks for reading. And, as usual, I’d love to hear from you. Sarah

What a Way to Teach Young Ones to Read!

by sarahsbookreflections, posted in Uncategorized

Interested in writing for beginning readers? This series strikes me as a good model. Especially if you can include very appealing photos. The ones in this series are stock, a.k.a. uncopyrighted, photos. Who knew there were photos out there of a bald duck growing in its adult feathers? I didn’t. The series is about baby animals and is entitled Animal Babies. Well, what else would you call it? The series focuses on several different types of animals, from mammals to birds. The pictures of the bald eagle are especially interesting. The series lends itself to a teacher adding on concepts such as what is a mammal. So pick up the whole series for your classroom.

Animals Babies: Bunnies

Kelsey Jopp

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby rabbits, bunnies, and has a picture of newly born rabbits with its eyes closed and pink skin. There is something to learn every day no matter how old you are. The vocabulary words the reader is to learn, such as eye and ear and nest and mother and fur and tail and grass are pointed out by an arrow in the text and, a photo in the glossary. Different colors of rabbits are shown, giving the new reader an understanding that not all bunnies are the same.

BIBLIO: 2020, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95/ school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-747-5

Animal Babies Chicks

Kelsey Jopp

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby chickens, a.k.a. chicks, and has pictures of newly hatched chicks, all fluffy and cute. The vocabulary words the reader is to learn, such as feathers and legs and feed and beaks and coop,are pointed out by arrows in the text and with a photo in the glossary. Even when they’ve left their mothers, chicken live in groups. Most of the chicks shown looked to be your basic backyard, chicken-coop residents, but some of the more colorful breeds are included.

BIBLIO: 2020, Focus Readers/North Star Editions,

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 9781641859516

ISBN: 9781641858823

ISBN: 9781641858137

Animals Babies: Ducklings

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby ducks, a.k.a. ducklings, and has pictures of newly hatched ducklings. The vocabulary word the reader is to learn, such as feathers and wings and nest and grass and seeds, are pointed out by arrows in the text and with a photo in the glossary. The photo of the duckling growing its adult feathers is gross, but fascinating. Talk about an ugly duckling.  Even when they’ve left their mothers, ducks live in groups.

BIBLIO: 2019, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95 library & school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-745-1

Animals Babies: Eaglets

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby eagles, a.k.a. eaglets, and has pictures of just hatched eaglets with fluffy white feathers. The picture of the mother catching a fish is stunning. The vocabulary word the reader is to learn, such as feathers and mother and nest and wings,are pointed out by arrows in the text and with a photo in the glossary. Different colors of eaglets are shown, giving the new reader an understanding that not all eagles are the same. When they leave their mothers, eagles live alone. The series focuses on several different types of animals, from mammals to birds.

BIBLIO: 2019, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95 library & school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-7436-8

Animals Babies: Foals

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby horses, foals, and has a picture of new born foal with its eyes closed. Did you know a foal’s eyes are closed at birth? There is something to learn every day no matter how old you are. The vocabulary words the reader is to learn, such as eye and leg and hooves and body and grass are pointed out by an arrow in the text and, a photo in the glossary. Different breeds and colors of horses are shown, giving the new reader an understanding that not all horses are the same. The mare and foal shown at the beginning have the distinctive dish face of an Arab.

BIBLIO: 2020, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95/ school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-747-5

Animals Babies: Kittens

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby cats, a.k.a. kittens, and has pictures of new born kittens whose eyes and ears are closed. The picture of a mother cat washing her sleeping kitten is sweet. As the kitten grows, its eyes and ears open and it grows teeth. The vocabulary word the reader is to learn, such as tooth and mother and eye and ear and tail and leg, are pointed out by arrows in the text and with a photo in the glossary. The photo of a kitten chasing a butterfly will endear the reader to cats.  When they leave their mothers, kittens generally adopt a human. Though the book indicates that all cats live with humans, but that’s not always the case.

BIBLIO: 2019, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95 library & school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-748-2

Animals Babies: Piglets

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about baby pigs, a.k.a. piglets, and has pictures of new born pigs whose eyes are closed and are born in a bunch. The picture of them nursing blissfully with their eyes shut is delightful. The vocabulary word the reader is to learn, such as eye and nose and mother and leaves and roots, are pointed out by arrows in the text and with a photo in the glossary. Different colors of piglets are shown, giving the new reader an understanding that not all pigs are the same. Even when they’ve left their mothers, pigs live in groups.

BIBLIO: 2019, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95 library & school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-743-7

And finally, but not least:

Animals Babies: Puppies

Meg Gaertner

This book, as the title indicates, is about puppies and has pictures of new born puppies whose eyes and ears aren’t open. Did you know puppies’ ears are closed at birth? There is something to learn every day no matter how old you are. The vocabulary words the reader is to learn such as ear and eye and tail and teeth and food are pointed out by an arrow in the text and with a photo in the glossary. Though the mother with her fluffy, blond pups is a golden retriever, different breeds and colors of dogs are shown, giving the new reader an understanding that not all dogs are the same.

BIBLIO: 2019, Focus Readers/North Star Editions, Ages 5 to 6, $24.20 list/$16.95 school.

REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan

FORMAT: Beginning Reader

ISBN: 978-1-64185-750-5

Now don’t you want to read with young children and cuddle each of the babies in these books? No? Where’s the farmer in you?